


Those That Stay

by Calesvol



Series: Naruto Events [9]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Reflection, Slice of Life, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25679464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calesvol/pseuds/Calesvol
Summary: When Tsunade's 56th birthday rolls around, she can't help but feel slightly depressed after the war. However, those that have become like family to her remind her of how much love she still has left in her life.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Shizune & Tsunade
Series: Naruto Events [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2185356
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Those That Stay

Warning(s): G, some death mentions

* * *

Sometimes, Tsunade wondered if she was doing the right thing by retiring from the seat of Hokage, if she was acting too much like the princess so many were acclimated to calling her, even if it’d been such a facetious inside joke she’d shared between her grandfather and granduncle, until her entry into the Academy exposed just how revered she was in the shadow of her predecessors. How Tsunade had an enormous reputation to live up to, however well she did it. She didn’t possess Wood Release, and never would she earn the title of God of Shinobi, and she was fine with that. Helping people had always been her endgame.

More than that, she couldn’t help but remember Naruto’s brutally honest gossip with Kakashi and felt ashamed. Had she really fallen that far? And it wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed, but Tsunade felt that she was in control. That those hours spent drinking between stacks of paperwork was just a pittance to help her through the stress. That gambling was just her way of having fun between the endless amounts of work the recovered village was still moving through.

And now, on the day on her birthday, she felt her age. Was she growing weak? Was the Fifth Hokage really losing herself so much?

She couldn’t stop thinking about the war, of the things she’d seen she didn’t think she ever would. Of fighting a man only her grandfather could hold his own against, and how many times she’d technically come close to dying until her Byakugō had brought her back again and again. A strain she hadn’t felt since the Third Shinobi World War. How much longer did she have? How much longer until her body gave out and she followed her loved ones into the Pure Lands?

 _Gods, what a morbid train of thought,_ she thought bitterly while she gazed at the bottle of sake near her desk longingly. The stacks of paper barricading her in were like walls, and the urge to drink was even stronger.

The soft rap of knuckle on the door to her office drew the Senju from the rather dour thoughts she was mired in, calling a soft beckon for them to come in, pleasantly surprised to see Shizune and Sakura at the threshold, lightened by the presence of her beloved assistant and disciple that were like family she thought she'd never have again.

For however long she had until she retired, the faces of these women like family to her were motivation enough to keep going.

“Sakura, Shizune, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked with playful formality, as if her family wasn’t standing in the very room. The smile that tugged at the corners of her ruby lips was indicative enough; both women met it with giddy smiles of their own.

“Tsunade-shisō, Shizune-senpai and I want to take you out tonight to celebrate your birthday,” Sakura explained while they came to the front of her desk. Shizune, who held Tonton, voiced much of the same.

“Take me out tonight? So, what place did you have in mind? I hope you’re not forgetting how I can be in a restaurant,” she teased with a twinkle in her eye. That, and she felt sorry for whomever’s tab was going to hurt that night.

“I have just the place in mind, Tsunade-sama. Someplace that can handle all three of us,” Shizune said mirthfully as Sakura playfully nudged Shizune’s side, and giggling flourished between them. From this alone, Tsunade felt as though her night would promise to be leagues better than the grim contemplation and reflection she’d resigned to do over mountains of paperwork and sake.

The place they settled upon was one of Konoha’s smaller Izakaya, tucked off the beaten path and far from the busier thoroughfares. Tsunade had to admit that the August night was beautiful to trek through, the dusty side streets holding a certain charm and the low eaves of comfortably cramped homes and boutique stores and restaurants coupled with overhanging tree boughs mustered a serenity she hadn’t felt in ages. In such little moments, walking side-by-side with the family she loved most, it made her remember how much she loved this village. How proud and honored she was to protect it as Hokage.

Their arrival to the izakaya came with a bit of fanfare, as those inside wished her booming happy birthdays and promises of letting her eat for free. The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle at how relieved Shizune and Sakura looked in tandem, a mischievous shine to her eye they met with sheepish looks.

Dinner proved to be a simple, home-cooked affair. Two of their line cooks had to be allotted for Tsunade alone, which proved the case when a tower of dishes and plates were stacked next to her upon them finishing, compared to the few between Shizune and Sakura. The two had been betting on how much she’d eat, and surprisingly, Shizune won that round. Tsunade merely dabbed her lips obliviously while Sakura groaned and forked over the thousand or so ryō she owed as a result.

It was happy. Compared to just hours ago, she felt filled with more than just the izakaya’s delicious food.

“I almost wish I was old enough to drink,” Sakura lamented when Shizune poured sake for herself and Tsunade that would begin their toast. “Still, I’m glad to see you’re so happy, Shisō.”

Tsunade frowned a little at the observation. “Sakura-chan, you too? Hmph, and to think I had to hear a mouthful of what Naruto was saying about me. My own darling disciple…” While Sakura looked genuinely aghast, Tsunade burst out laughing before she stretched across the table to ruffle the girl’s hair playfully.

Even then, Shizune’s brow puckered with concern. “Tsunade-sama, can I ask what Naruto-kun was saying about you?” Even Sakura leaned in with vexed interest.

Tsunade smiled mirthlessly, a sip of her sake taken. “He’s noticed a change in me since the war. The way he put it was a little more crude, but he thinks I’m not as spirited as when I first started as Hokage. That I’m worn down, dispirited— _old_.” The last stung the most, and she didn’t try to hide her look of hurt at the recollection.

“That Naruto, I swear! The next time I see him, I’m definitely going to beat some sense into him,” Sakura vowed with a vehement fold of her arms. “So what if you’re a bit different now! You did more than anyone as Hokage, so it shouldn’t be surprising if you’re still tired afterwords. It’s stressful to come back to the desk after all that. He should’ve known better!”

“I agree with Sakura-chan. I know he’s brash and an upstart, but he should know better than to say insensitive things like that,” Shizune huffed in agreement.

“No, he’s completely right.” Sakura and Shizune met that admission with dumbfounded shock. “The way he put it is crude, but… I feel like I’ve been worn thin. Like butter scraped over too much bread. I don’t resent becoming Hokage, or protecting this village that’s my family, but… the war affected me, too. I may be a legendary Sannin, but I’m still human. And the way I see it, this gap year couldn’t end sooner.”

“Tsunade-shisō…”

“Tsunade-sama…”

Tsunade flashed both women a conciliatory smile. “Come on you two, don’t give me those pitiful looks. I don’t need to feel even more pathetic. Besides, we can piss and moan about our problems some other night. I’m just sorry I brought it up at all.”

While Sakura and Shizune didn’t look convinced, they elected not to say anything more on the matter.

“Well, here’s to 56 years of existence. I’m stubborn as hell, so expect us to still be toasting when you two are old and gray, too,” Tsunade promised with a wily grin, her glass of sake raised encouragingly. Both women clanged theirs together, and a rounding cheer of ‘ _Kampai!_ ’ proliferated the room.

As Tsunade knocked back her sake, she instantly felt much better than before. Spiritedly, she pounded her fists on the table, the plates jumping while the pair startled at Tsunade’s sudden jubilation, and the blonde shot up as she pointed commandingly at the kitchen counter.

“Chef! Bring your best dessert on the menu, dammit! I’ll repay you well, but like hell I’ll have anything less as your Hokage!” she thundered, hearing a startled clatter from the kitchen themselves. With a laugh, she sat back down in her seat and shrugged lackadaisically at her disciples. “You’ll thank me later. You don’t think I’d share a birthday dessert with my darling girls with anything less than perfection, do you? Over my dead body.~”

From the peals of laughter that erupted between the three, the light atmosphere was infectious. Tsunade only hoped she’d have many more birthdays to share with her girls for many years to come.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, this is my first piece for Tsunade Week 2020! The theme of today was her birthday and friends. Additionally, this was inspired by a conversation Kakashi and Naruto had in Kakashi Hiden, to anyone wondering what I was referencing. 
> 
> Happy birthday, my darling slug princess!


End file.
